


Lost

by BombshellKell



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Angst, Children, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-07-23
Packaged: 2017-12-21 02:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BombshellKell/pseuds/BombshellKell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is over, but the world never runs out of despair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost

“Hey, hey, get out of my way, this is important!” 

Newt scrambled down the busy hospital hallways to the maternity ward, his shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor with every sharp turn he made. When he finally saw the sign sticking out from one of the walls, he screeched to a halt, and half-walked, half-jogged the rest of the way, over to where Hermann was sitting outside of the nursery. 

“Hey, man, what’s going on? Shouldn’t you, like, be in there with Vanessa?” He slumped down next to him, immediately slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Is it a boy or a girl? I bet it’s a girl. I can just see you guys with a cute little German girl, with the little blonde pigtails--“ 

“Neither of us are blonde, Newton.” 

Newt stopped talking, cutting himself off short and looking over at Hermann with a frown. His tone of voice, even about something so trivial, was harsh and serious, as well as the use of his full name. Not the tone of a guy who just became a dad. Newt dropped his arm from around him and scooted away a couple inches on the bench. 

“Hey, uh... Maybe I just don’t understand the whole baby thing, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be happy right now.” 

Hermann took a deep breath, turning toward Newt but not meeting his eyes. “...Vanessa... There were some complications. At first they thought they would simply have to give her a Caesarean section, since she could not deliver the child herself. But it... it wasn’t enough...” 

Newt felt a horror settling on him, as he finally began to realize just what his friend was trying to tell him. “Hermann... Where is she? Where’s Vanessa? And the baby?” 

“She’s gone, Newt.” Hermann fixed his eyes on the window looking into the nursery. “I lost her. She was fine for a little while, but... then she just slipped through my fingers. The next thing I knew, she was gone, and they were telling me how sorry they were.” 

They sat in an uncomfortable, suffocating silence for what Newt thought was much too long. But what was he supposed to say? He couldn’t say anything that would make it different, that would bring Vanessa or the baby back to life. He sighed, and shifted closer again, returning his arm to its place around Hermann’s shoulders.

“You were right about one thing, though,” he said to Newt, and finally looked at him with a tight smile. “It’s a girl.” 

Newt perked up, no matter how barely, at that. “She’s alive? The baby made it?” 

“She made it.” Hermann’s smile widened slightly before disappearing altogether. Newt could tell how hard he was trying, how even now he was fighting to stay dignified as long as there were other people around. Newt pursed his lips and tightened his arm, his fingers pressing into the wool of Hermann’s coat. “They’re just now making sure that everything is alright with her. After what happened to her mother.” 

That was the triggering remark. Hermann pressed a hand to his eyes and stifled a sob. Newt’s initial reaction was to back up further; he made it a habit to stay away from crying people, usually, since he had no idea how to react to them, or how to help. But this was different. He couldn’t turn away from him. So he just tightened his arm a little bit more and leaned his head against the scratchy wool on Hermann’s shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> A shoutout to my friend Alejandra, who gave me this terrible idea.


End file.
